Having a beautiful bespoke wedding does not mean you have to blow your budget. In fact, there are many budget-friendly tidbits that you can opt for to ensure a smooth and hassle-free wedding that is a great fit for your budget.
- Table numbers: Print out numbers onto nice paper in cool fonts and create your own wine labels to use as table numbers, or incorporate numbering into your centrepieces or place settings. Some couples like to choose a theme for each table rather than numbers, which can set the tone for the rest of your décor.
- Flowers: Your reception and ceremony can be decorated yourself using seasonal flowers and plants placed in a variety of shabby chic containers sourced from charity shops and antique shops. Or how about mini birdcages painted white for a vintage feel, filled with beautiful blooms?
Why not hire centrepieces for your big day? They create a real statement but come at a fraction of the cost. From striking candelabras, fun giant martini glasses or elegant bowls and sophisticated black glassware, there’s bound to be something to suit your theme and your budget.
- Place settings: Get creative with ribbon, a beautiful and cost-effective way of bringing your colour theme to life. Tie it around napkins, candleholders, cutlery and wine glasses. Paint a circle of blackboard paint at intervals on your tablecloth, and simply write each guest’s name in chalk when you come to set the table! Or cut out butterflies in pretty paper, add each guest’s name and thread them into each place setting fork.
- Favours: Buy sweets and chocolates in bulk and prettify your own packaging for vastly cheaper favours. Personalised favours go down a treat, too – perhaps something using a great photo of you as a couple. Some couples give out scratch cards or lottery tickets, too (you can hold your own ‘lottery’ or prize draw by making your own tickets).
- Invitations: Get familiar with photoshop and a word processor, ink stamps and other crafty techniques, buy some quality cards and paper and make your own! Aim for simple and classic and you can’t go wrong. Treat your guests to quirky or unusual holders. They double up as great favours your guests can take away.
- Desserts: Cupcakes, brownies, cookies and all those childhood favourites always go down a storm at weddings. And what about an ice-cream bar, with a variety of cones, wafers, flavours, sauces and toppings so everyone can create their own?
- Decorations: Getting married in the summer? Why not hang beautiful paper lanterns from trees, they are cheap to buy but look amazing, and your guests can’t fail to be enchanted as they walk to your venue. Drop a submersible light into a centrepiece or flower arrangement. As nighttime falls, they will light up the room and wow your guests. Make garlands and bunting by cutting shapes (butterflies, hearts, stars etc.) out of pretty paper and sewing or threading them onto the fine string. A simple way to decorate is to scatter petals, confetti or sequins over the tables for a pretty effect.
- Wedding cake: Decorate your own wedding cake. Simple iced tiered cakes can be bought in many of the major supermarkets. Simply tie a ribbon around the tiers for a simple, elegant look.
The other cheap alternative is ordering a wedding dessert from some reliable cake delivery in Delhi services that will custom create the design and charge you a lower price than the boutique local bakeries and patisseries.
- Guestbook: Create your own ‘family tree’ by drawing out a tree trunk shape onto a canvas or hardboard and providing different coloured ink pads for your guests to leave ‘leaf’ fingerprints all over the branches. Or cover a wall in envelopes with individual cards for your guests to fill out.
- Bridesmaid gifts: Find your local bead shop and put together some pretty bracelets or necklaces for your favourite ladies. Or leave them heartfelt personal messages written on the soles of their bridesmaid shoes! You can also get your bridesmaids together(and a bottle of wine!) and make an evening of it.
And if DIY and crafts are not your things, then there are plenty of other ways to save money on your wedding. Shop around for the best deal, use personal recommendations and ask for discounts wherever you can. And did you know you can more than halve the cost of a designer wedding dress by shopping at a factory outlet or discount bridalwear store? So start saving those wedding pennies for your honeymoon!
